


Packed Lunches and Misplaced Mistletoes

by meqhanory



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 17:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3864223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meqhanory/pseuds/meqhanory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma knew it was obvious, but perhaps it was her heart that blocked her slick and intelligent mind. A defense mechanism when sarcasm, quick wit, and thick walls failed. Better to deny the obvious than face it and feel your heart shatter.</p><p>Based off the tumblr prompt: frozen wolf + falling in love with their best friend's partner</p>
            </blockquote>





	Packed Lunches and Misplaced Mistletoes

Emma knew it was obvious, but perhaps it was her heart that blocked her slick and intelligent mind. A defense mechanism when sarcasm, quick wit, and thick walls failed. Better to deny the obvious than face it and feel your heart shatter. It reminds her of what she had said to Graham the night he died:  _Not feeling anything is an attractive option when what you’re feeling sucks._

Still, perhaps she should’ve admitted it to herself earlier, maybe it wouldn’t have hurt as much as it did now.

**exhibit a.**

“This isn’t food, it’s oil.”

“Says the princess who now works at a chocolate shop and covers everything in it.”

“Queen,” Elsa corrects simply, taking a fry between her finger and thumb, taking a tentative bite. “I still believe it’s oil.”

Emma just smiles and rolls her eyes, watching as her girlfriend over analyzed everything about this world. Still, she made her happy. They made each other happy. It’s why Elsa and her sister, as well as Kristoff, stayed in Storybrooke to begin with. Their quiet moment was interrupted with long legs in a pair of tight, shiny leather pants appearing at the table.

“Milkshakes for the ladies,” Ruby says with a sweet smile, placing them in front of their respective recipient. “How much has Emma made you try so far?”

“Take a guess,” Elsa says with a playful roll of her eyes, nudging Emma under the table. “Everything is covered in salt and grease and I’m wondering how she keeps her figure at this point.”

“Don’t we all,” Ruby laughed, placing an agreeing hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “Has she showed you the best way to eat fries at least?”

Elsa rose an eyebrow, confused. “I thought you just dipped it in the liquid tomatoes…”

“Ketchup,” Ruby corrects, “but definitely not.” Clucking her tongue in disapproval, Ruby turned to look at Emma. “You know better than that, Em.”

“I actually don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Emma responds with a curious gaze, leaning back into the cushion of the booth. “And now I’m curious.”

“You both are hopeless.” Taking a fry, Ruby placed it in Elsa’s hand. “Dip it in the milkshake.”

Elsa rose an eyebrow. “I feel like you’re trying to give me a heart attack.”

Smiling in silent laughter, Ruby nudged Elsa with her hip. “Really, dip it in the shake.”

The blush that rose on Elsa’s cheeks made Emma giggle. Ruby, forever the flirt, no matter if there’s a curse or not.

Clearing her throat, Elsa nodded, dipping the fry into the shake tentatively before putting it in her mouth. A soft moan of delight came from her lips, eyes looking up to Ruby with surprise.

Nodding, Ruby tucked the tray in her hand under her arm. “My work here is done, ladies.”

Emma chuckled, watching Ruby saunter off with a simple swish of her hips.

“Your friend… Her name is Ruby, right?”

The sheriff nodded simply, turning her view back to her girlfriend. Elsa’s eyes took a longer time to turn back to turn to Emma’s, but she didn’t question it. Ruby truly was a sight from behind.

“Yeah. She sometimes comes in and works for the station because of her wolf senses. You’ll probably see her a lot.”

* * *

 

**exhibit b.**

Emma shouldn’t be as worried as she is, but Elsa is fifteen minutes late and this is woman who gave her a lecture three days ago about how tardiness presents a look of not caring; plus, Elsa was never late for movie date night. It’s one of a couple nights a week they can actually be alone without the world crumbling around them.

The gentle knock on the door is what snaps Emma from her worry and panic, moving quickly to the door and swinging it opening it. A sigh of relief fell from her lips as Elsa quickly wrapped her arms around the sheriff’s neck.

“I am so sorry,” she breathes against Emma’s neck, causing the sheriff to shiver. “I was with Ruby and lost track of time.”

Emma smiled, pulling back and placing her hands on Elsa’s hips. “It’s fine. Ready to watch  _Avengers_?”

Elsa grinned, “Again?”

“Well… What else do you want to watch?” Emma asks, moving aside to let Elsa in and shut the door behind her.

“What about  _Jaws_? Ruby recommended it, because it’s apparently a classic.”

Chuckling, Emma shook her head. “Okay, but if you get scared, I take zero blame.”

As the pair sat and watched the movie, Emma felt maybe she should’ve asked about why exactly Elsa was out so late with Ruby. But considering Elsa obviously felt so bad about it, she decided she’d rather just savor this moment rather than ruin this with a fight over what was probably nothing.

* * *

 

**exhibit c.**

It’s going to be a great lunch, Emma thinks. She had picked it up from Granny’s and was carrying it to the chocolate shop where Elsa and Anna worked and it would just be _nice_. She missed her girlfriend, and it felt like ages since she’d been with her. With so many late night calls, movie nights were cancelled nearly every week and she just wanted 30 minutes of peace with Elsa.

When Emma arrives, she only sees Anna, who gives the blonde a slightly confused gaze.

“You’re not Elsa,” Emma mumbles, suddenly embarrassed.

“And you’re not Kristoff.” She smiles the usual Anna smile; happy and cheerful and always the most meaningful thing. Like she’s never been so pleased in her life. “What’s up?”

Holding up the white bag with grease stains beginning to seep out, Emma chuckled. “I thought Elsa and I could do lunch.”

Pursing her lips, the red head gestured to the door in back. “Sure. But Ruby just came by with lunch…”

“Oh.” The blonde knew Ruby and Elsa did friend lunches every Thursday, but it must’ve slipped her mind in her excitement. Disappointment filled her, but perhaps tomorrow.

“I could tell her you’re here-”

“No,” Emma interrupts, shaking her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just see her later.”

* * *

 

**exhibit d.**

It had become tradition for there to be an annual Christmas party to be at Granny’s Diner, as it was the one place in Storybrooke that was equal ground for all. There was no evil beings or good guys or past in Granny’s, just laughter and Granny’s questionable liquor license.

The party was in full swing and everyone was enjoying the holiday cheer. Leroy was at the bar, chatting up Nova who kept bowing her head and blushing at whatever he was saying. Regina and Henry were smiling as they cut up the pies that the pair had brought. Henry took a bit of whipped cream and dashing it across Regina’s nose, causing the brunette to just laugh as she did the same to him. Emma's mother and father were sitting in a booth, admiring the view of happy citizens with Neal in David’s arms. Everything was happy and  _stable_ and reminded Emma of home and how, if she were to have imagined it as a child, this was it.

Ruby and Elsa were chatting easily, while Emma stood with Killian in lazy bliss. It was amazing how quickly Elsa had made a friend in Ruby, but then again, it wasn’t that big of a shock. Ruby was always sociable and Emma knew Elsa needed more friends in Storybrooke. Hanging out at the Sheriff’s station with her and the chocolate shop with her sister and Kristoff could only fill so much time in her day.

“I’m just saying, Swan. It would be nice to have something you  _wouldn’t_ care about my hook accidentally scratching up.”

Her mind snapped into the moment, chuckling as she turned her gaze back to Killian. “Hilarious. And I don’t care about most things, you know that. However, you shouldn’t be driving my bug to begin with. You cannot shift the stick with that thing.”

“David had the patrol car and there was a call for a cat in a tree.”

“You probably shouldn’t be trying to rescue a cat with one hand.”

“Touché, Swan. Touché.”

Emma let a pleased sigh escape, turning her eyes to Leroy as he shouted. He was gesturing to Elsa and Ruby, then the ceiling. She spied a small bit of greenery, and it clicked in her head.

“It’s the mistletoe, therefore you two have to kiss.”

Apparently, Ruby and Elsa had been under the mistletoe, which of course sent Grumpy into the Christmas spirit. Emma could only roll her eyes.

“Leroy, come on. We know it wasn’t there before,” Ruby starts, setting down her bottle of beer. “This is why you were not invited to decorate.”

Leroy simply shrugged. “Hey, I don’t make the rules, Christmas does.”

Elsa was standing there, more a deer caught in headlights than anything, a heavy blush rising from her chest.

“Such a perv,” Ruby grumbles, shaking her head. “You know what? Fine.” In quick movement, the brunette leaned over, pressing a kiss against the corner of Elsa’s mouth. It was brief, simple, and reminded Emma of an old French movie.

Ruby pulled back, giving Leroy an eye of warning before he threw up his hands in defeat, turning back to Nova.

Things seemed to immediately fall back into sync as though nothing had happened, Christmas music continuing to play in the background. But Emma’s eyes were still trained on Elsa and Ruby. Ruby’s hand was gripping Elsa’s forearm, and she was whispering something into her ear. Emma couldn’t hear it, not over the roar of chatter, music, and Killian trying to continue their conversation. The way it seemed to just calm Elsa and have her release into uncontrolled giggles, it pulled at something in Emma. Not even Anna could calm Elsa so easily.

* * *

 

**exhibit e.**

“Ems!”

Lifting her head from the paperwork before her, Emma rose an eyebrow as a breathless Ruby tumbled into her office and shut the door behind her. A small, brown, tightly wrapped package was in Ruby’s hands. Part of Emma almost expected to have it thrown at her in Ruby’s haste, but instead the brunette just placed it down gently in front of her on the desk.

“I finally found it.”

“What, the Holy Grail?”

Rolling her eyes, Ruby shook her head. “Not every fairytale is real, Emma. Shockingly enough.”

Smirking, Emma put down her pen and sat back. “Ruby, what is it?”

Unwrapping it slowly, Ruby place the picture frame back down on the table. “I was helping Belle in the library archives and found this portrait of Elsa’s parents. It must’ve been in there for awhile, but we just found it today.”

Emma sat up straighter, looking to the delicately painted portrait. “But Arendelle wasn’t affected by the curse…”

Ruby shakes her head in agreement, shrugging. “I have no idea either, though Arendelle did trade with the Enchanted Forest a lot so… I’m kind of assuming it got traded for some reason.”

Nodding her head slightly, Emma leaned back in her chair. “Why’re you showing it to me?”

“Well…” Ruby licked her lips, suddenly appearing awkward.

_Since when is Ruby like this?_

“I was going to give it to Elsa for her birthday, since it’s this week, but…” Ruby bit her lip, as though she didn’t know how exactly to form what she wanted to say. “It seemed a bit much, coming from me.”

Emma was silent but she still felt her stomach tighten into a knot. She knew what Ruby was actually trying to say, just a sugar coated version of it.

_It would make me look more like her girlfriend than you._

Pressing her lips together, Emma slowly takes the frame into her hands, looking it over once more before looking up to Ruby. The blonde couldn’t stop the sad smile that fell graced her lips. She knew Ruby meant well, but lately, her mind has been telling her to worry.

“Thank you,” Emma says after a moment, eyes shifting and now trained on the painting, as though the secret to remedy everything lies within the old portrait. “She’ll love it.”

Ruby just nods and turns, leaving the office and shutting the door behind her.

Part of Emma is angry, but another is just sad. She isn’t certain if it’s directed at herself or the other two in the situation.

* * *

 

**exhibit f.**

“Where’s Elsa?”

Emma doesn’t mean for it to sound bitter, but it comes out that way anyway. It’s Thursday and the blonde had been expecting Elsa and Ruby having their weekly lunch at Granny’s, but instead Ruby is sitting at her desk at the Sheriff’s station with two small bags of food.

“I’m assuming work,” Ruby says simply, shrugging her shoulders as she pushes the unopened bag toward Emma. “Cheeseburger and fries. Granny even added bacon to it for you.”

Taking the bag and sitting across from her friend, Emma reaches in and pulls out the burger. The burger is savory and sweet and she feels like it’s more than just a friendly gesture.

“I just thought you two would be having your friend lunch thing. It’s Thursday, isn’t it?”

Ruby stops mid bite, pressing her lips together. She wants to say something, Emma can tell, but she’s holding it back.

“Yeah. She’s just busy today so I figured she’d like to just be with her sister,” Ruby replies with a quick shrug before continuing to eat.

Emma can’t help it as she scans over Ruby’s face, looking for something,  _anything_ , as an indicator for what happened. Instead she just sees pain masked by carelessness and shaking hands.

She doesn’t ask about it though. Part of it is respecting Ruby’s privacy, but the other is dreading the answer.

“Okay,” Emma replies. The pair eats their food in silence before going back to work.

* * *

 

**exhibit g.**

It’s the first time they’ve been together in weeks, but it feels like she’s touching a stranger. Elsa’s face is contracting in the same way as her finger slide across her bare skin, but Emma notices how Elsa keeps her eyes shut the entire time.

_She never did before._

Elsa is close and her nails are digging into Emma’s back and she knows what usually comes next, the thing that Emma craves: her name falling off Elsa’s tongue in crying gasp. But when muscles contract around Emma’s fingers she instead feels Elsa’s teeth sink into her shoulder. The sensation is welcomed and pleasuring but Emma knows something is off. Elsa’s orgasm is textbook, and this wasn’t what usually happened. She wants to think maybe it’s just because it’s been so long, but the sheriff is unable to convince herself of the lie.

Fingers slide out and are wiped onto the sheets of the mattress, and Emma is quick to roll off the queen before her and sit up, legs over the edge of the mattress, back turned to her lover. Her face is in her hands and she isn’t sure if it’s because she wants to cry or if it’s because she’s trying to piece together when things went so bad after being so  _good_.

Emma jumps when she feels Elsa’s fingers along her spine and kisses on her shoulder where she had bitten, an apology.

 _But for what?_ Emma wondered.

Elsa’s hands and lips still at Emma’s shock, but don’t pull back. “Are you alright?” she whispers against warm skin, as though her voice would push Emma further away.

Emma doesn’t respond at first but stands to get away from gentle hands and lips, pulling discarded clothing on. “I have to go, I have night shift.”

“I thought you said you were off tonight and David was taking your shift.”

“I just remembered he couldn't,” Emma snaps, still not looking to Elsa. She can already see in her head what her face looks like, and that alone breaks her heart.

“Emma,” Elsa says softly, and Emma hears the shuffle of the sheets. “Emma,” Elsa repeats, soft and needing, but the sheriff is still busy dressing and where is her damned  _badge_ and-

“ _Emma_!”

Emma turns to face Elsa, and the image in her head is confirmed. Elsa has pulled the sheets over her, almost ashamed, but Emma can’t decipher what for. Her eyes are full of tears and pleading and _begging_ for her not to leave. Not like this.

She knows it isn’t Elsa’s fault, or Ruby’s. And while her heart attempts to blame her for this, she knows in her mind that isn’t true either. This just happened to be the case and she doesn’t know what to do about it anymore. And from the look on Elsa’s face, none of them do.

She’s tempted to reach out and touch Elsa, tell her everything is okay. Tell her how they can work this out and there’s a way around this and things will go back to how they were, before packed lunches and misplaced mistletoes. But she doesn’t. She just keeps a straight face and turns to the door, walking out and and letting the door shut behind her.

* * *

 

**exhibit h.**

Emma needs to speak to Ruby.

This isn’t her fault, it never was. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, she’d convince herself later. But right now she’s protective and jealous and wants to tell Ruby off. How dare she have wooed her girlfriend, with keeping Elsa late and thus making her late to date night, for bringing her lunch when Emma should be, for that damned Christmas kiss that looked so innocent but now Emma questions. But that’s not shocking, seeing as Emma is now questioning everything.

Ruby is her best friend. She knows that, and she knows Ruby’s loyalty. Ruby calls it being loyal to her pack but the blonde now calls that loyalty into question.

She doesn’t have the right to ask Ruby to stay away, she knows that. She knows Elsa will be pissed when she finds out, and that it will probably be the breaking point for them. But now she’s at Granny’s and her eyes are darting around, looking for the brunette.

It dawns on her how incredibly quiet the dinner is and how few people are actually there. Just a couple of guys Emma has seen at the repair shop, probably on lunch break. She recalls how Ruby told her that Granny had injured her back and would be taking the week off, leaving Ruby in charge of the Diner and unable to work at the Sheriff’s station.

“Testing me,” Ruby had said. “She wants to see how I’ll run the Diner when she retires, if ever.”

Emma moves to the back, toward the area where stairs to the inn are and restrooms for patrons.

“She isn’t talking to me anymore.”

The voice causes Emma to hide behind the wall, past instincts kicking in. She’s thankful that she’s far enough back that patrons can’t see her and eye her for leaning against the wall like someone in a spy movie; but anxious as she peers around the corner to see Ruby and Elsa. Thankfulness washes over her again, since Ruby apparently hasn’t picked up on her scent or footsteps. Part of her still wishes she would be noticed however, just so she wouldn’t have the curiousity to watch whatever was unfolding.

Elsa’s lips purse and she nods. “She isn’t really talking to me either. Not since she walked out that night.”

The compassion and understanding in Ruby’s eyes, it actually makes Emma feel bad for what she did. Or well, more so than she already had.

“It’s my fault,” Ruby mumbles, hardly loud enough for Emma to hear. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

_Said what?_

Elsa reached out and runs a caring hand across Ruby’s cheek, shaking her head. “No, Ruby, don’t. I get why you said it.”

“I knew how you felt, though.” Ruby’s head is down, and Emma actually feels her heart ache, but she isn’t sure what for. “I knew you felt the same and now everything is, quite literally, falling apart.”

“You should work on your definition of ‘literally.’”

And then they’re giggling and sharing a smile, a smile Emma has never seen on either. It’s so genuine and sincere and it reminds her of how her parents look at one another. And it makes everything hurt that much more.

She watches as Ruby’s head lifts, eyes brimmed with tears. The wolf’s eyes are looking over Elsa, in silent curiosity. Then her lips are on Elsa’s and Emma has to look away, the feeling of bile rising in her throat causing her to clutch her neck. She shifts off that wall and is quick to leave the diner.

As she leaves, she hears it, the end of whatever was left between her and Elsa.

“I can’t, Ruby-”

“I know.”

“But… I  _want_ to.”

“I know.”


End file.
